October Wrap Up (2023)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with my October Wrap Up (2023)!

Due to the 24 readathon I took part in (just a personal one) at the start of October, I have a lot to talk about. So let's get started! 

1. Bad Magic, by Derek Landy 

This is a short (obviously Abi, it's a graphic novel), fast-paced tale that takes place, I'm assuming now- after the events of Until the End, but before the new trilogy starts. Being a graphic novel, it was an absolutely perfect novel to start in the early hours of the morning for my 24 hour readathon, before my brain had woken up. It was a spooky story about possession, with Valkyrie and Skulduggery at the centre, working a case and being their usual awesomeness. I even had the pleasure of meeting Derek Landy on his tour and getting it signed so that was the cherry on top. 

2. Coraline, by Neil Gaiman (Illustrations/Adapter: P. Craig Russell)

I'd been wanting to read Coraline for the longest time, and I'd heard about how creepy the graphic novel was. When I saw it in my local Waterstones, there was no doubt in my mind that I had to have it. Going into this, I honestly wasn't expecting anything more than the film I'd seen a number of times, but the graphic novel actually lended a lot more to Coraline's character than the films did. You could feel the fear she must have felt, going head to head with the other mother and possibility of losing everything if she didn't succeed. 

Oh, and the illustrations for the other mother were just as creepy as everyone had said. 

3. The Pearl Sister (The Seven Sisters #4), by Lucinda Riley 

I have a few more thoughts on this in my Seven Sisters Series' Review, but in short, when I started this book, I wasn't terribly keen on CeCe, because of the other POV's I'd read in the first three books. But reading the book that was all about her, her journey and her growth, really changed my opinion about her. Looking forward to seeing her again in the later books. 

5. Trouble Girls, by Julia Lynn Rubin 

Trouble Girls is about two girls, Trixie and Lux that are off for the weekend on a roadtrip. They haven't seen eachother in months, and for the first time in ages, are free from responsibilities. That is, until one fateful night, something happens, that could honestly happen to anyone, that changes their life forever. What was once a carefree trip with a friend, turns into a desperate attempt to flee the police. 

Honestly, this was such a wonderful book to read. All it took, when I heard about this was: "A queer YA #MeToo reimagining of Thelma & Louise", and I was sold. It's so easy to put yourself in the POV of Trixie and Lux. The anger and vulnerability you feel when viewed as nothing more than a body part, and the confusion about what to do when something unexpected happens. I have no idea what I would do if I were to experience what these two girls have happen to them, but that's just it. Nobody does until faced with it. Wonderful book, amazingly fleshed out characters with a clear voice. Thoroughly enjoyed this. 

6. The Mist, by Stephen King

I bought this, with the idea in mind that I would read it during my 24-hour-readathon. With it being just 180 pages, I knew I'd be able to get through it relatively quickly. But then, with over half of The Pearl Sister still to finish, I decided to put this to one side for a rainy day (which happened to be the following saturday/sunday). 

You guys, this is a short snappy, creepy book that is perfect for this time of year. I've been a fan of the film for several years, which is just as good as the book by the way, but what's impressive about the book is how much they manage to pack into it. I don't feel like it's rushed at all, I had no trouble remembering all the characters, it's really easy to follow if you want a, not nice, but good start to the genre that is horror. I genuinely think it's one of King's best, despite it's short length. Highly recommend. 

7. The Moon Sister (The Seven Sisters #5), by Lucinda Riley 

Okay, I kind of have to include this on the list. I'm currently just shy of page 500/738 and although it's a high order that I finish this in two days, I'm going to try. I really love this book so far, I don't know what it is about Tiggy, but I just love her as a character. Lucia's awesome to read about too, her spirit, her talent as a flamenco dancer, and her passion is endearing, but for me, Tiggy is where it's at. Honestly, it doesn't matter whether I manage to finish this before midnight on tuesday, I just know it's going to be five stars, just like the rest of them.

Update (31/10/23): I finished it! If I like a book, I will always do my damnest to finish it! Loved the ending, loved the ending of Tiggy's arc, and honestly, she's one of my favourite sisters! Can't wait to see what comes next for her!

Okay! Those are all the books I've read this month- so many more than recently! I have to say I'm proud of what I read, given the limited time I've had! 

As always, feel free to comment what you finished this month and we can talk about them in the comments! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxxx

The Seven Sisters Series Pt. 1

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I don't know if this is a smart idea or not, because I might be digging a hole too deep for myself here, but I'm back with a seven sisters series review for the first four books. 

I've been obsessed with this series since August, and it's only gotten worse with each book. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

The Seven Sisters

This book was very much a realisation for me. I was nervous going into it, because I had just been handed the first book in a very long, very large series, which was something I hadn't attempted in a very long time. Then, when I got a little ways in, I knew that I had the potential to not only love this series, but possible adore it. Even now, when I'm just at the start of the fifth book, I know that this series is the best thing I'm going to read all year. 

Maia was the best sister to enter the series on. The oldest, sensible, responsible, warm, caring, very much in her shell, comfortable at home with Pa Salt. I warmed to her immediately. Although there was a lot of plot to get through before what I knew was to be the main plotline of the book, I didn't feel bored or like I was waiting too long. If I have one critique of this book, it's that I wish, once you jump into the POV of Maia's ancestor, I could have spent a bit more time on Maia's journey, instead of 50-70 page snippets every 170 of her ancestor. But this was a wonderful start to the series, and I still find myself thinking of her, even when I'm reading her other sisters' stories. 

The Storm Sister

At the moment, The Storm Sister is probably my favourite out of all of them (even though I relate to Star's character more). Ally is a headstrong, sailer of the sea, more comfortable on a boat than on land. When she loses someone close to her (other than Pa Salt) she discovers a few home truths that lead her on a journey to find out where she came from. 

Basically I loved everything about this book. The ancestor we read about for a good portion (it felt more balanced this time around, even though it might not have been). I grew more in love with Ally's character the further on I got, I loved the landscape and the way music and the similarities between Ally and Anna were shown.

Anna, the ancestor, is basically a farm girl with a gift for music and singing, who is plucked from the place she knows and loves, to the landscape of Norway, to be made a star. I loved the way her story unfolded, the writing style, and the difference we see in Anna from the start of her parts to the end. 

We see both Ally and Anna love, lose people, make decisions- for the better or worse, hurt and come out the other end. I loved every single word. 

In a sentence, I don't think I've read a more perfect book. 

The Shadow Sister

After reading The Storm Sister, I was anxious for the next book. Which, in hindsight, was probably a good thing when I had to wait a couple weeks to start reading it. 

In The Shadow Sister, we follow Star, a shy girl, who is very much under the thumb of her younger sister CeCe at the start, but over the course of the book, we see her begin to blossom into someone a lot more independant, yet the same sweet, caring person you instantly like upon picking up the book. The only critique I have of this volume is Star kind of gets lost in the story of her ancestor, Flora. Flora was such a wonderful character to read about. Reading from her POV reminded me of everything I loved about Lake District. Not to mention Beatrix Potter was in this! I just didn't want to stop with this one, and no wonder- I finished the 680 page brick in a week. 

The Pearl Sister

Going into this, I wasn't so sure about how much I was going to like CeCe. She often speaks above Star, and comes off as quite brass. But, I was willing to keep an open mind. 

And honestly, CeCe surprised me. There was a lot more to her character, insecurities and fears that overall, made her more likable. I still didn't like the way she treated Star, but I was willing to give her a chance. 

I had a little trouble getting invested, like with the others, because it took a while before I got into the "meat" of the story, but once I was a little ways in, I was in it for the ride. 

I liked the ancestor of CeCe, though I wasn't desperate to find out what was going to happen to Kitty, like with Flora, but I liked it well enough. I liked the fact that I never spent a really long time with either main character, it was pretty well balanced between the past and present. 

Overall, certainly not my favourite book of the bunch, but I feel like I understand CeCe a lot more and I hope I get to read more of her POV with the final two books of the series. 

Okay! Those are my main thoughts for the first four books of the Seven Sisters series guys! I really hope I love the last four books as much as I did these- currently on book 5! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxx

September Wrap Up & October TBR (or what's left of it)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And due to lack of signal in Devon, I haven't been able to post in almost a month (I promise I was going to be posting my wrap up and TBR that week). 

But better late than never I guess! 

Here's an update on my readings past and future. 

I hope you enjoy it! 

September Wrap Up (2023)

I read a total of three books in September, for one reason or another, but they were all fairly large, and I'm happy with my consistency and my determination to read even a little bit each day. 

1. Happy Place, by Emily Henry

I was determined to get this read in September, so it wouldn't be left on my shelf collecting dust until February/ March time (much like my Beth O' Leary books are now, but hey- I can't get to everything)! I did enjoy this one, but honestly, I felt like some parts with Harriet and Wyn- and their famililes- were just a little rushed and crammed in all at once. It would have been nice to read more about them, but that's just my personal preference. All in all a solid read- very much looking forward to her next publication. 

2. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett 

This has been on my re-read list since maybe the start of the year, and it was so fantastic to actually follow through and pick it up again. I enjoyed it so much I even watched the film too. This is a pretty well-known book/film so I know a lot of you have read or seen it, but if you haven't, The Help is about Jackson, Mississipi in the 1960s. It follows Aibileen and Minny, two black maids, in their professional lives, raising their employers' white children from the time that they've had their first poo, and their personal lives, running for their homes when a white man goes on a shooting rampage. When Mrs Skeeter approaches them with the idea to write a book about their lives, three ordinary women take their first extroadinary step to changing their lives for the better.  

3. The Shadow Sister (The Seven Sisters #3), by Lucinda Riley 

I can't even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this book. After The Storm Sister I was eager to start the third book straight away. Not only did I really like the character of Star, the protagonist of the third book, but I knew where she ended up. But as I'm borrowing these books from a friend, it was of course some time until I was able to pick it up. 

But eventually I had it in my possession. Honestly, a bit slow starting, compared to the other two books, but in the other hand, it gave me a chance to fully come to understand what Star was all about, and once I got past a certain point, I genuinely couldn't put the book down. I flew through the substancial 660 pages in a week which for me, is no small feat. Once again, it helped that I was jumping from two protagonists/ time periods, and the sections were quite evenly spaced out, so I never felt like I was reading one character's story for too long. Honestly, at this point, I think I'll find it difficult to find a book in this series that I'll enjoy more. 

October TBR (2023)

Although we're already 12 days into this month, I'm still going to write about the books I plan to read for the rest of it. There will of course be less books than usual, but the month just wouldn't be the same without my TBR, now would it?

1. Lyrical Ballads, by Wordsworth and Coleridge 

After finishing Trouble Girls, by Julia Lynn Rubin (I'll talk about that on this month's wrap up) I was at a complete loss as for what to read next. Then I remembered a month ago, when I'd been reading The Shadow Sister, which takes place at Lake District, how eager I'd been to pick up some of the Wordsworth poems/books I'd accummilated back in July. And so, here I am, reading poetry for the first time in several years. 

I'm not very far into it at the moment, just 35 pages in, but the beauty about this book is that if I like, if there's another book that I find myself drawn to, I can read that one and read maybe a poem or two a day, and slowly chip through them every so often, because I know I won't be in danger of losing the thread of it. 

I have to admit, I'm not very practised in reading poetry, but so far I'm enjoying it, and I'm looking forward to reading more.

2. The Grasmere and Alfoxden Journals, by Dorothy Wordsworth 

Ever since my partner and I visited Dove Cottage in July, the life the Wordsworth siblings shared has fascinated me. Mostly made from wood, they lived what we would call "Simple living". Plain food like bread, milk, beans, cheese and meat, and simply walking, exploring the landscape and writing all day. To me, that sounds amazing. 

But one person that I was particularly interested was Dorothy Wordsworth, who wrote alongside William, was never published, actually contributed ideas and phrases to William's most known works. Which is why I bought this, as well as two other books. I'll be reading the poems first, because I have a feeling that I'll throw the poems on the ground and abandon it if I pick this up first, but I genuinely can't wait see inside Dorothy's genius brain. 

3. The Mist, by Stephen King 

This was meant to be part of the TBR for the 24-hour-readathon that I did in Devon last week, but because I had not yet finished my current read, this got put aside for another day. 

Since this book is just 180 pages, I'm thinking I'll just be able to soar through it in a couple of days. 

If you didn't know, The Mist, is basically about a man and his son, trapped in a supermarket with several other people. A mist has descended on their town and every night, and with it brings mystery creatures that attack the villagers. The man's wife is out there, but of course leaving would risk their lives. 

That's all I know about it, which I know from the film that I saw many years ago, but it still remains a favourite. I'm very much eager to pick the book up. 

4. The Moon Sister (Seven Sisters #5), by Lucinda Riley 

`I can't believe how quickly I'm raking through these books! It feels like only last week I was picking the first one up and meeting all these amazing sisters. The Moon Sister, the fifth book in the series follows Tiggy, as she follows a job to the Scotland Highland, only to be led to her past in Spain, during the civil war. I know next to nothing about Tiggy, just that she's graceful and kind, but I just know I'm going to love her already. 

Oh, why is there only one more sister book after this? I really don't want this series to end! 

Okay! That's my Wrap Up for September & TBR for October! 

I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to comment what your current read is and what your thoughts are, I'd love to hear them! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx